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Before Ashdale
Before Ashdale is a side story that was written on March 9, 2019. It provides insight to the backstory of Elizia before her involvement in On a Cold Neverwinter Day. It can be found here. Characters * Elizia Story Details The story goes into the past of Elizia prior to her tenure in Neverwinter. Transcript "On the horizon! Do you see it?" "Oh my gods, the dragon is coming back!" "Get the women and children to the boats!" "Come on you monster! Just finish me!" "Someone help me! I'm trapped!" "It's hopeless. We're all going to die!" As Elizia trudged through the decrepit maze the now crazed Wizard Melzar had constructed, she had her ghost speak amulet with her. She could hear them... All of them. The ghosts that Melzar had trapped in this very maze, the spirits of his friends that had been slain by that dreadfull dragon. The dragon she had been tasked to, no... Swore to slay. At first, she had simply convinced herself she was taking on this task because she wanted to earn the right to bear a rune chest plate. For the day was approaching that she would possess the skills to possess rune equipment. However, as she learned of the atrocities this particular dragon committed, she promised herself that she would be the one to slay the dreaded dragon, no matter the cost. Elvarg, they called her. A dragon that laid waste to the one prosperous Crandor, turning the thriving Island into a wasteland, but this dragon wasn't satisfied, not even after that. In retaliation, for an unwitting adventurer's intrusion, she hunted down the survivors on the shores of Edgeville, and burned their encampment down. Melzar, was the only living survivor, and he had since gone insane, his ever more desperate attempts to revive his lost loved ones driving him deeper into madness. It was only a matter of time now before Elizia would make her way to his basement, and put him to rest, claiming the last map piece she needed to sail to Krandor Isle. From there, she would do what many Adventurers had failed before her; she would slay Elvarg, and put an end to the dragon's terrible reign. ... But why? Why was she, a thrillseeking adventurer, mindlessly chasing whatever rewards quests dangled in front of her taking on this daunting task? Sure, she wanted to bear a rune chestplate, but such a thing was not so special in the grand scheme of things. So why was she risking her life for something that had little to no reward? ... It was a question Elizia herself still couldn't answer to this day. For a reason she had yet to understand, she was compelled to. For her, it felt wrong somehow, to leave a dragon that had slain thousands be. Crandor had once been such a beautifull place, and it might be again, someday. If she could slay the dragon that made its home amidst all the carnage it had brought, perhaps such a prospect would be a little more than just a pipe dream. ... Interlude - Amnesia Ever since Elvarg had taken up residence amongst the now desolate ruins of Crandor, very few ships dared approach the Island, and even fewer ships remained that could even feasibly traverse the waters close to its shores. However, one such exception was 'Lady Lumbridge', an old, rickety ship, but a sturdy and well maintained one. A family of merchants resided upon it, taking risky trips to the Island itself to ferry various ores, from Coal and Gold, to Adamantium and even Mithril to Port Khazard. It was a shady, but rather lucrative venture, and the only way this small merchant family had to make a living. After all, they were but a measly family of three, with a young daughter that they rarely spoke to, at least of their business ventures. She spent much of her life below the deck, where her mother told her tales of better times. Times when they had once thrived, knowing and trading with many Crandorians, and even exploring uncharted waters, discovering ancient tomes which lined the Crandorian waters. Until the day an unsuspecting Adventurer awoke a fearsome dragon, that burned Crandor to ashes, hunted down its survivors, and then made its home underneath that very island. Ever since then, their life had become much more... Frugal, but all the same, they were getting by. The young girl, though she spent so much time below deck, often dreamt of the day they could return to Crandor, the day that she too, could live the life her parents had for so long. But such a dream seemed like nothing more than a far flung fantasy at the time, a dream that her parents would never live to see come true. For one day, during a routine trip to Crandor, Elvarg awoke once again. Hurriedly, her mother scrambled below deck, as her father took the helm, setting sail as fast as they could. But it wasn't fast enough. A great roar pierced the air, as fire rained from the sky, battering Lady Lumbridge, and killing all but one of its occupants. While most of what remained of the charred ship made its way to Rimmington, where it was then refurbished and sold to an owner at Port Sarim... The ship's lone survivor, the young, red-haired girl... Drifted aimlessly on a piece of flotsam, malnourished, and half frozen to death as the currents carried her to and fro, days on end. Barely conscious, and sick to the core, her young mind soon shut down, and she would have surely perished. If it wasn't for some stroke of luck, brought upon by a coincidental storm... One that washed her ashore a strange, yet peaceful Island. A place called... "Ashdale". The rest? Was history. Soon the young girl would find herself living her dream once she grew up, without even realizing it. She convinced herself it was all for the thrills, she was going out there and helping others for the rewards, or just because she could get a kick out of it. But deep down... Something else drove her, gave her purpose... Pushed her on. An innate desire to protect others, to put an end to the forces that sought to destroy, born from her long since forgotten memories, of the stories her mother once told her... Of the Dragon that laid waste to Crandor. ... It wasn't long now, Elizia had all 3 map pieces, and had put Melzar to rest at last. She boarded a familiar ship she had bought off a slightly shady sailor in Port Sarim, and even hired a small crew of two. A strange feeling of deja vu came over her for a moment, as she stared out into the distance where her destination awaited, but it only lasted for a moment. It wasn't long before she shook it off, dismissing the feeling as some kind of performance anxiety, as she turned to the Captain who would sail her to her destination. "Ah, it's good to be on board a ship again! No matter how long I live on land, a ship will always seem better. Are you ready to depart?" There was a moment of hesitation, as Elizia gripped her adamant hasta, something she learned how to make from a Barbarian mentor, and the anti-dragon shield that would be the key to her victory. Then, she smiled, nodding just once. "Yes. I'm ready to go, Captain Ned. Take me... To Crandor!" She said. In spite of the risks she, and the other two Crew members of Lady Lumbridge were taking, Elizia put on a confident smile. A smile that told them 'everything would be alright', a smile that told them they would return as heroes. ... Unfortunately, it was wishful thinking that was too good to be true. For in the end, only two of them would ever make it back home. But... At the very least, Elvarg, was no more. Trivia * An original character from the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RuneScape RuneScape] universe, this side story takes place in that setting and world. Category:Side Stories